Dreaming To Reality: Oneiromancy
by Yuki Ryu
Summary: Genius, Kaiser, detective, husband, and father all describe the Chosen of Kindness, Ken Ichijoji. However, as the line between dreams and reality blurs, Ken must rediscover where the lies end and the truth begins.
1. Chapter One: Cognition

Tick, tick, tick, tick.

The analog clock on the wall ticked noisily, the arms slowly moving about as it displayed the time for all to see. It watched over the small office from its high position, like a sentry. Due to its high position, the clock was able to avoid the clutter of the office below.

The tall silver filing cabinets sat poised against the walls, though many files rested on top of them rather than inside them; even those that managed to get inside the filing cabinet ended up sitting in the drawers as they hung out rather uselessly. The oak desk was in a similar state of clutter, with scattered pencils and papers in uneven heaps. A coffee cup sat on one of the larger piles, bits of hot brown liquid thanklessly trickling down on to the stack. A white trench coat sprawled out on top of a brown faux-leather chair in front of the desk, its sleeves dangled over the edge, as if it were reclining in it.

Tap, tap, tap, tap.

A man sat at the desk, hunched over it somewhat uncomfortably. One hand held a black pen that he tapped against the desk, the other running through the bangs of his shoulder length dark blue hair. His faded blue eyes stared at the papers in front of him, unfocused and unseeing. Draped across the back of his chair was the jacket portion of his gray business suit, matching his pants exactly. After a few more moments of tapping, the man dropped the pen down with a sigh and leaned back. He reached up to loosen the dark red tie so that it fell limply against his white shirt, much like he found himself sitting limply in his chair.

The man sighed, closing his eyes.

Suddenly the door burst open, making an awful racket as it banged against one of the cabinets. The impact then resulted in a number of papers that were stacked on top of it to fall off and scatter about like leaves in the fall. The culprit of such an act of reckless disorganization didn't seem to notice. "Yo, Ken!" the unexpected visitor shouted in an overly energetic manner.

Ken looked up sharply before his expression softened at the sight of his visitor, a man looking to be his age with shirt spiky reddish-brown hair and a big goofy grin on his face.

"Daisuke...," he smiled, tilting his head to the side. "Is it that time already?"

"Yup!" Daisuke replied before jerking a thumb behind him. "C'mon, let's get going."

"Sounds good," Ken sighed as he stood up, pulling his jacket up off the chair and slipping it on. He walked around the desk and reached for his trench coat. "I _definitely_ need a drink about now."

"Long day?" Daisuke guessed as a sympathetic look appeared on his face.

"Exceedingly," Ken replied. He shook his head slowly as he walked along side Daisuke out the door. "Theft, assault, vandalism, affairs... it's like I see the worst in humanity every single day."

"Ever think of getting out of this business?" Daisuke asked with a lopsided smile, as he kept his eyes on Ken even while he nodded at his friend's secretary before they left the detective agency.

"Many, _many_ times, way before you even started asking that every day," Ken replied sullenly. "Unfortunately, Miyako thinks this job is the best one suited for me."

"She seems to be the only reason anymore," Daisuke pondered in a surprisingly thoughtful manner as they made their way out of the office building and out onto the street. "I seem to recall the first time I asked you, you had tons of reasons." His expression grew troubled. "Are things really that bad between you two now?"

Ken hesitated, then sighed. "...I really don't understand it. All I seem to do is make her angry. I try to get more involved with her and the children, and she gets angry at me for getting in her way. I stay out of her way, and she gets angry at me for avoiding her. I take off time from work to spend time with the family, and she gets angry and accuses me of being lazy at the expense of our income. I work late so she can have more income to support the children, and she gets angry that I'm choosing work over family. I... I feel like I can't win."

"Do you think she's pregnant again?" Daisuke ventured as he tucked his hands into his pockets. "Hormones drive women crazy sometimes, you know?"

A look of panic crossed Ken's face before he quickly managed to hide it. "...I don't think so. She's _asked_ about having another child, but it was also the day after she mentioned the possibility of a divorce. ...I don't know if _she_ knows what she wants."

"Do you mean she threatened to do it because she was pissed off... or do you mean _seriously_...?" Daisuke asked slowly, looking even more concerned.

"I don't know," Ken shook his head. "She was angry at the time and didn't bring it up again until the _next_ time she was angry, so it could only have been that... but she's getting angry increasingly often..."

"How're your kids holding up with all this going on?" Daisuke asked as they paused at a crosswalk to wait for the light to change.

"They seem to have gotten the drill by now," Ken replied. "Not that I'm sure that's a good thing. Whenever she gets angry, they run off to their rooms and hide... and afterwards, they act like it never happened."

"Well our kids are pretty strong, just like we used to be way back then," Daisuke mused thoughtfully.

"Just the same, I'd rather not expose them too much to this," Ken mumbled. The light changed and the two began walking again. "I suggested sending the kids to my mother's for a little while, just to get them out of this environment until we could work it out. ...She got angry at me for accusing her of being a bad mother. She then got angry and demanded to know why _my_ mother and not _hers_."

"Well next time why not suggest hers so she'll have one less thing to complain about?" Daisuke suggested awkwardly as he rubbed his chin.

"I will, once she's calmed down enough from me mentioning it the first time," Ken said, nodding slightly. "Maybe it _is_ hormones. We... haven't...," the detective paused and then coughed, face red. "...Since this whole thing started."

A broad smile appeared on Daisuke's face at that. "Well _there's_ your problem! She wants a little more Ken and Miyako one on one time." He patted Ken on the back firmly. "Just plan some kinda romantic weekend and give her a chance to really burn off those hormones." He winked knowingly at his friend. "Just try not to make _another_ kid again."

Ken smiled weakly before looking away, face still quite red. "...That's assuming I can get the drive to go at it."

Daisuke stopped to stare at Ken. "Wait, you mean..." He paused to point a finger in the air before curling it until it drooped downward. "...You got _problems_?"

Ken grimaced and shifted uncomfortably. "...Yeah. I just haven't been able to... well, since this all started. And if it all started because of _that_, that means... I'm kind of stuck in a really vicious cycle, aren't I?"

"Yeah," Daisuke muttered before he attempted a laugh. "Akemi'd probably _kill_ me if I cut her off completely."

"It's hard to get 'motivated' when I'm getting screamed at," Ken muttered, somewhat defensively. "Not that I was ever really interested in it to start with."

"Huh?" Daisuke stared at Ken in confusion.

The detective made a face as he churned over what he had said for a few moments, still walking with his friend down the sidewalk before finally coming to a stop in front of a large karaoke bar. Neon lights flashed brilliantly, the false light dancing on the ground. Ken sighed before giving Daisuke a sheepish grin. "I've never been a very... sexual creature, I guess."

"Coulda fooled me," Daisuke said as he rubbed the back of his head while they entered the bar. "Akemi and me are _still_ trying to give Hikaru a little brother or sister and we go at it at least five times a week."

"_I'm_ not a sexual creature," Ken repeated. "I didn't say Miyako wasn't."

Daisuke stared blankly at Ken for a few moments. "But how-" he stopped when realization hit him. "Oh." He quickly grew confused again. "But how'd she, you know, get it up?"

"Uhm," Ken glanced around uneasily, noting the other people walking in and out of the karaoke bar. "Let's hold that thought until we rent a room and get some drinks, okay?"

"Okay," Daisuke replied in a rather carefree manner.

It didn't take long for Ken and Daisuke to rent a room, as both were very familiar with the process. Even more, the staff immediately recognized them and knew both what rooms they wanted and what sort of drinks to send their way. In what seemed like barely a few minutes, the two old friends were in their private rooms relaxing with their sake cups and the alcohol to fill it.

"Should I be bothered that they know us so well by now?" Ken muttered as he reclined, slowly turning the sake cup in his hand to make the liquid twirl about without spilling it.

"Hey, I look at it as good service m'self," Daisuke said cheerfully before taking a deep drink of his sake.

"Either that or we come here too often," Ken muttered, though he leaned forward to take a drink of his cup as well. "Phew... but that's to be expected. This is the only time I can really relax."

Daisuke exhaled deeply and held up his cup. "Hey, I hear ya. I've gotta work my butt off just to have any time at all to spend with you and my family. Who'da thought owning a ramen business could be so much darn _work?_" He sighed and downed another gulp of his drink, exhaling harshly after swallowing due to the sting. "I miss just plain cooking the darn stuff."

"I imagine you now have to hire people to do that for you. Kinda takes the fun out of it, huh?" Ken mused. "Just like I have to focus most of my time on cleaning up other people's messes or the...," the detective paused and grimaced. "...Digimon slave trade."

Daisuke grimaced as well. "There's some sick people out there," he muttered and sighed as he poured himself another drink before doing the same for Ken. "Don't tell Hikari I told you this, but sometimes I think the worst thing to ever happen was that everyone in the world got their own Digimon partner."

Ken nodded. "I thought the same thing. I was optimistic at first, but... being a detective has really opened my eyes. There are so many people who... don't deserve to walk the streets at night, let alone have a Digimon."

"Yeah, though you gotta keep in mind how most people are good, and aside from the random schmuck that abuses their Digimon, it's still pretty peaceful now since Baliel Vamdemon died, you know?" Daisuke ventured before taking another drink.

Ken looked at Daisuke for a good long moment, then chuckled quietly. "'Peaceful', huh?"

"Yeah, my kid complains all the time about how _boring_ it is and keeps complaining about how he's never been able to go on a big adventure like we did," Daisuke mused as his eyes wandered towards the ceiling. "But I guess he'll eventually grow out of it."

The detective gulped the entire contents of his sake cup and grimaced. At times, Ken found himself more than a little frustrated with Daisuke - and the other Chosen. Even Miyako seemed to share the same optimism for the world, that people would generally do right and only the few did wrong.

In the end, this made Ken feel as though a vast canyon stretched between them. The others had the luxury of having such ideals, but Ken didn't. Every day, he had to deal with humanity's dirty laundry. Every day, he dealt with liars, cheaters, thieves, abusers - and he didn't even have to deal with the worst that humanity had to offer! He never got any cases for murder or rape, but his comrades did - and he heard _all_ about it.

After doing it for so many years, he could honestly not take such an idealistic concept seriously. Even more, he found himself angry that the others _did_. But then, wasn't that his job? To make it so people like Daisuke could believe the best in mankind, as people like Ken kept the worst at bay? How could he begrudge them that?

Besides, was he angry that they seemed 'so blind' or was he jealous that he could no longer share that blindness?

"Yeah, he keeps wishing for some big bad Digimon to attack us all so he can save the world like we did," Daisuke explained as he refilled Ken's cup. After finishing he gave the detective a lopsided grin. "But I guess you're probably wishin' for that too to get outta the house and away from Miyako the horny shrew, right?"

Ken blinked at that and stared at Daisuke for a good moment. Then, he began to laugh. The laughter bubbled up out of him, light at first but increasing in intensity. His eyes watered as his face flushed slightly, laughing long and hard. And just like that, the sour mood was gone. With such a simple comment, the pensive mood evaporated like a cloud of smoke. This was what he liked about Daisuke - Daisuke could make him feel better, no matter how bad he felt.

"Now _that's_ what I like to see," Daisuke said, his grin broadening, before he took a swig of his drink, downing the rest in one gulp. He paused to exhale loudly as a result of the alcohol stinging his mouth and throat and then grinned at Ken again with a faint flush to his cheeks. "So you in the mood to sing now, or after we've had a few more so we can totally mangle all the lyrics?"

It took Ken a few moments to get control over himself long enough to answer. He wiped as his eyes as he chuckled heavily. "A few more, I think. Just to be on the safe side."

"The safe side?" Daisuke repeated curiously as he topped off their drinks.

"Well," Ken grinned rather slyly. "I can't listen to you sing while I'm sober, now can I?"

Daisuke blinked then laughed. "You're no rock star either you know."

Ken lifted his sake cup up. "Here's to being drunk _and_ tone deaf!"

Daisuke raised his own cup. "But mostly drunk!"

The two friends clinked their sake cups together, laughing.

* * *

The first thing Ken became aware of was the pounding of his head. His body felt sluggish and very much unhappy with him, his muscles sore and his stomach churning. Even the darkness seemed to hurt, so even keeping his eyes closed did little to help him.

Grunting, the detective blinked his eyes open before slowly sitting up with a groan.

Ken had slept on the couch that night, as it was where he found his pillows and blanket upon returning home. He imagined he should have been used to such an uncomfortable bed with how often he found himself sleeping there, but it still didn't agree much with him. The alcohol no doubt didn't help.

"What time is it...?" Ken murmured, picking up his black cell phone from off the coffee table to look at it. The white digital numbers flashed at him, telling him that it was not only morning but that he was _late_ for work. "...Lovely."

"Good morning, Ken-chan," a kind voice whispered, drawing Ken's attention to the doorway of the living room. There he saw Wormmon standing there carrying a tray of food and his hangover medicine over to the sofa.

Ken blinked before he smiled softly. "Good morning, Wormmon."

"Miyako-san is out shopping with the baby, and Osa and Ichiko are at school," Wormmon said softly, so as not to aggravate Ken's hangover. Once close enough to his partner he held up the tray as high as his little stubby arms could allow so Ken could take them. "Did you sleep well last night? I got new sofa cushions yesterday with my allowance and the lady who sold them to me said that they were supposed to be better for sleeping on."

"It was much softer, thank you," Ken moved to sit closer to the tray. It didn't do enough to make sleeping comfortable, but he'd never admit to such a thing. "You really didn't need to go through so much for me, Wormmon."

"Yes I did," Wormmon insisted as he held the tray steady. "You almost never sleep in your bed with Miyako-san anymore and you always have so much pain in your back every morning, Ken-chan. I would've bought you your own bed or at least another sofa if I could, but I knew Miyako-san would get very angry at you if I did that."

Ken went very quiet at that. So it was obvious even to Wormmon? But then, how could it _not_ be? His partner was the one most attentive to him, closest to his heart - more so than even his _wife_. It would be inconceivable for Wormmon not to notice what was going on.

Such a fact made Ken feel a pang of guilt. Wormmon was no doubt suffering as well, simply because Ken was.

"I don't want you to waste so much money on me, Wormmon," Ken said, softly. "You've done so much for me as it is."

"The money isn't wasted if it makes you feel better, Ken-chan," Wormmon said simply before deciding to set the tray down on the coffee table when it seemed Ken wasn't going to take the medicine or food right away.

Ken honestly was having trouble finding his appetite. However, he knew he at least needed the medicine and reached to take it. "I'm sorry about all this, Wormmon."

Wormmon shook his head. "You don't have anything to apologize for, Ken-chan. You can't help what Miyako-san decides to do."

The detective sighed heavily before he gulped down the medicine, reaching for the glass of water on the tray to wash it down. "Hopefully this won't last that much longer."

"I'm sure it won't, Ken-chan," Wormmon said quietly, but with cheerful enthusiasm. "You and Miyako-san just need to talk things out."

"Yeah, talk," Ken murmured before setting his glass down on the table. He reached for the plate of food, a rice omelet, and set it on his lap. The pain in his body and head were already starting to clear up, thanks to the medicine. At least living in the year 2029 was good for some things - medicine had come a long way. At least, when it came to hangovers. "Thank you for the food, Wormmon."

"You're welcome, Ken-chan!" Wormmon practically chirped, obviously happy about being praised by Ken.

Ken smiled before taking his fork and spearing the rice omelet with it. He tore a chunk out of the food and placed it in his mouth. "Were you able to find out anything last night?"

Wormmon nodded vigorously as his excitement grew. "Yeah! I found out that there's going to be another shipment of captured Digimon coming in tonight at midnight!"

"Really?" Ken immediately perked up, his eyes widening. "Good job! Maybe we'll actually find out more about whoever's behind all this!"

Wormmon's gaze grew troubled at that. "...Ken-chan?" he asked after a few moments, his voice quiet, hesitant.

Ken blinked before frowning. Such a reaction made him very concerned. "...Yes, Wormmon?"

Wormmon squirmed anxiously in place and seemed unable to meet Ken's gaze. "I... I also heard a rumor about who might be behind this."

Ken set his fork down on the plate and leaned forward. "...Who?"

Wormmon looked down at his stubby arms as he poked them together nervously, his antennae drooping, and muttered something unintelligible.

"I couldn't hear you, Wormmon," Ken said softly, becoming increasingly concerned. "Could you repeat that?"

Wormmon sweated a little as he hunched slightly, as if instinctively readying for something dreadful. "T-the... the D-Digimon... Ka...Kaiser...," he finally forced out in a weak voice that was barely above a whisper.

Ken gaped at his Digimon partner, his expression rather blank. Clearly he couldn't have heard that correctly. "Who?"

"The... Digimon Kaiser," Wormmon repeated a little louder this time, his voice still so weak, practically distraught.

The detective blinked slowly. He was having trouble comprehending what his partner had told him - it felt too surreal, too bizarre. What did he mean that the Digimon Kaiser was behind it?

"I-I'm sorry, Ken-chan!" Wormmon blurted out anxiously after the silence stretched on for too long. "I don't believe it! Honestly I don't! A Gazimon just told me that the Digimon Kaiser had come back and kidnapped his family! He must've been mistaken!"

Ken stared at his partner before slowly leaning back. "There's nothing to apologize for, Wormmon. I'm glad you told me. This must have really been bothering you."

Wormmon nodded, looking absolutely miserable.

The detective moved to scoop his partner up in to his arms and hold him tightly. "It's fine, Wormmon. I... was just a little stunned, but the answer is obvious. Clearly someone is taking advantage of... my old moniker. No doubt they're using it to gain a reputation without earning it."

"Ken-chan...!" was all Wormmon could say in response as he hugged his partner close with tears in his eyes.

Ken cradled his partner and stroked the Digimon's head soothingly. "Don't worry. We'll catch them, and then everyone will see them for what they really are."

"R-right, Ken-chan!" Wormmon said as enthusiastically as he could manage, though he couldn't help the hiccup that escaped him.

"It'll be fine," Ken repeated, firmly. "Don't worry about it, okay?"

Wormmon blinked his tears away and tried his best to look determined. "I-I won't, Ken-chan! We'll find out who's doing this!"

"And the first thing we need to do is rescue those Digimon tonight," Ken said, smiling. "We need to get ready."

"Right, Ken-chan!" Wormmon said with growing enthusiasm as he did his best to smile despite his jagged sideways mouth.

Ken smiled back at Wormmon. In all honesty, everything he said was for Wormmon _and_ himself. He needed to keep himself strong, even if he felt almost wounded by such news. No doubt this was why Wormmon was so upset and hesitated to tell him - he knew that Ken would be hurt at the news that his old legacy was being used again. It was a skeleton in his closet that most everyone knew, one that he wished he could bury.

And yet someone had not only dredged it up but was using it for themselves.

"It'll be okay," Ken thought, his smile weakening slightly. "It's not my fault they've decided to use my old legacy, even if it is my fault that legacy exists in the first place. That just means it's my duty to put a stop to them. That's _all_ it means."

He just needed to keep reminding himself of that.

* * *

Midnight had long since come and gone by the time Ken Ichijoji began his uneasy approach to the warehouse. The detective would have preferred that the operation took place during the day, but undoubtedly what he disliked about the night raid was precisely what his targets _liked_ about it. Darkness shrouded everything, including Ken himself, and thus made it difficult to see much of anything.

The warehouse itself was from a particularly dilapidated part of the harbor. It was a structure that seemed to be made more from rust than metal, with countless dents and fissures marring what had supposedly been a smooth surface sometime many years ago. The paint on it had faded or chipped away over time, leaving it almost indistinguishable from the other rundown structures. It was only due to the fact that Ken had memorized the location of this warehouse on the map he had studied prior to his arrival that he felt sure that it was the correct one - at least as sure as a rumor could make a detective like him feel.

Gingerly stepping along the alley behind the large steel warehouse, Ken avoided stepping on the litter that had been precariously thrown about; even so much as a crinkle or jingle of a can would expose him. Wormmon hovered near him, in the form of Stingmon; he silently flew, not having to worry about the ground beneath him.

As a result of such cautiousness, the approach to the warehouse was slow, _painfully_ slow. It felt like hours passed, even if it was only a few minutes - then again, nerves no doubt played a role as well. The detective's heart was beating fast inside his chest, his adrenaline rushing as all of his senses seemed amplified. Rumor or not, his body was already convinced that something was lurking in that warehouse and each step was a step closer to that something.

Cautiously, Ken pressed his back up against the wall of the warehouse. He ignored the feeling of rust clinging to the back of his jacket and slowly inched his way along the perimeter, heading towards the massive doors to the complex.

The doors loomed as Ken drew closer and closer, until he was finally able to snake his head around the corner and peer inside.

The inside of the warehouse was alarmingly dark. Though the small holes in the structure allowed a tiny bit of moonlight to filter through, for the most part these holes seemed to be blocked by rotting boxes and warped pieces of metal. Bits of paper and scraps of moldy cardboard littered the floor among splinters of wood and metal. Even in the dim light Ken noticed that recently the trash and thick layer of dust on the floor had been disturbed.

Ken frowned. He supposed he shouldn't have expected everything to just be sitting out waiting for him, but he felt a little disappointed that the warehouse looked relatively normal. Even the disturbed floor only said that _someone_ had been there, not that said someone was doing anything illegal.

The detective peered around for a moment longer before he decided to enter the warehouse. Clearly he wasn't going to find anything by standing outside. Whatever he was after, it had to be further in.

The random boxes and bit of discarded objects loomed within the darkness ominously. Anyone or anything could be lying in wait, or even kidnapped Digimon could be kept locked up as hostages behind or within any overly large object. The threat of the unknown wasn't enough to deter Ken, as he had been in more dangerous situations in the past, particularly when he was a child.

Ken slowly snuck in to the warehouse, glancing around anxiously. Perhaps his mind was making it appear worse than it truly was, but he simply couldn't shake the feeling that he was entering a lion's den.

"...Stingmon, stay close." he whispered.

There was no reply.

Ken paused before glancing over his shoulder, a sudden feeling of uneasiness forming inside him. "Stingmon?"

But there was no one there. The pier outside the warehouse was devoid of any signs of life, including Stingmon. There was no sign of a person, an enemy Digimon, or even a rat scrounging for scraps or shelter could be seen in the dim light.

Ken whipped his head about as he tried to catch sight of his Digimon partner, the uneasiness increasing. Where was Stingmon? He hadn't heard anything at all! The detective quickly pulled out his Digivice and glanced at the screen, verifying the status of his partner.

Unfortunately Ken was unable to check, for at that moment a sharp pain laced through the back of his neck. It had come from nowhere, an intense _burning_ sensation the likes of which he had never felt before. It was as though he lost control of his entire body as it went into wild spasms with an ache that grew so intense it stripped the world away into blackness.

* * *

Consciousness was _painful_ - a stinging, burning type of pain as if hundreds of needles were poking him all over. For this reason, Ken found himself not particularly inclined to _welcome_ consciousness as it tried to worm its way back inside him.

Unfortunately, once he became aware of that painful consciousness, it would not be denied.

"U... uuuh...," Ken grimaced as his eyes slowly opened. "What..."

The Chosen of Kindness was immediately greeted with darkness. He froze, uncertain of what to make of it. If he didn't know any better, he'd think he was still unconscious. However, the pain in his body made him _quite_ sure that was not the case. He didn't feel a blindfold on his face, and even reached up to feel his face and verify this - he wasn't bound or restricted in any way. In fact, he could see himself quite _plainly_. He could see himself as clearly as if he were in broad daylight - and yet the rest of the world was pitch black.

What was going on?

_"Are you satisfied?"_

"Huh?" Ken blinked and looked around. "What?"

_"Is this what you've always wanted?"_

"Is this...?" Ken frowned and stood up, shakily. "What are you talking about!?"

_"Is this your beautiful dream?"_

"My beautiful dream?" the Chosen of Kindness repeated, slowly.

_"Or are you waiting to wake up?"_

"Wake up? From what?" Ken asked.

_"Are you willing to let someone else define your beautiful dream, just as you've let them define everything else about you?"_

"...Show yourself," Ken said, his eyes narrowing. "Where are you?"

_"Where are_ you_?"_

"That's what I want to know!" Ken all but screamed. "What's going on!?"

_"Do you want to find out?"_

"I wouldn't ask if I didn't want to know!" Ken said as he whipped about, searching for the voice. "Answer me!"

_"What do you want?"_

"What do I-?" Ken began, then cut off short.

Daisuke beamed as he stood in front of Ken, wearing a large white rabbit suit with a pink bow wrapped around his neck. He held out a basket full of candy towards Ken, beaming. "Happy Easter!"

"Hmph," Takeru smirked as he crossed his arms, casting Ken a sideways glance. "You really are cute when you smile."

Hikari giggled with embarrassment, her cheeks lightly flushed a shade of pink that matched the two-piece swimsuit she wore on her teenaged body. "You really like this swimsuit, Ken?"

"Humph," Iori grunted as he looked away, though a slight blush was on his cheeks.

"Welcome to the First Annual Digimon Drag Parade!" Taichi called out through a microphone, wearing a replica of Angewomon's usual attire, complete with melons in his chest to give the impression of cleavage.

"W-what's going on...?" Ken whispered, his voice soft.

_"What do you see?"_

Yamato snorted, slinging his guitar strap over his shoulder. "There'll be other gigs... don't worry about it."

"I want to thank everyone for their support," Sora said as she stood at a podium, wearing graduation robes in front of a massive university. "If it wasn't for my friends, I wouldn't have made it this far."

"What do I...?" Ken repeated, dizzily.

_"What do you hear?"_

"Could you hand me that bottle over there?" Jyo asked as he fitted a syringe with a needle. "The one on the table."

"He shoots... he scores!" an announcer howled as Daisuke kicked a soccer ball into the goal, plowing through the bewildered goalie's defenses as he wore a victorious grin on his face.

"Who are you...? What's happening...?" Ken whimpered, holding his head.

_"What do you feel?"_

"What do you think?" Mimi asked as she looked at herself in the mirror, wearing a very fancy dress. "Would purple stripes suit me?"

"The program is running smoothly," Koshiro muttered as he typed away at his laptop, sitting comfortably on the floor. "Any errors should appear on the screen soon enough."

"What...?" Ken mumbled, hugging himself as he felt as if he were about to faint.

_"Do you want to know?"_

"You're such a pimp, Ken!" Taichi smirked as he winked at the other boy. "But you have to pick one sooner or later, before they kill each other!"

"It looks like rain..." Sora mumbled absently, staring up at the sky with a relatively solemn expression. She held her tennis racket close, standing at what appeared to be a bus station.

"Want to... know...?" Ken repeated.

_"About your beautiful dream?"_

"What are you thinking about?" Hikari asked as she looked over at Ken. One hand idly rubbed her slightly enlarged stomach as the wind blew her light summer dress and hair about.

"Looks like we're going to have another one!" Daisuke smirked as he wrapped an arm around Miyako's waist, who looked particularly pregnant. "Like rabbits, eh?"

"Ken-chan..." came the hauntingly familiar voice of Wormmon, though it sounded more like a weak echo. The scene shifted to the Village of Beginnings, where hundreds of child Digimon gathered around in a circle. At the center was Wormmon, who was looking away at the distance.

Slowly, Wormmon turned about to stare at Ken, his eyes full of despair and pain. "Ken-chan... where are you?"

Ken stared at Wormmon, as if he had been punched in the stomach. He gasped breathlessly, though no air seemed to fill his lungs as he trembled.

_"Or is it a nightmare?"_

"...I want to know..." Ken whispered, trembling violently. He gasped as everything around him suddenly disappeared, revealing nothing but blackness once more. Ken stared around before his eyes settled on a figure in the distance.

The figure was a woman in a white lab coat, with wild red hair and hazel eyes. She looked to be in her early twenties, though her eyes were so cold it burned into his body.

"Then wake up."


	2. Chapter Two: Confusion

The world was green, a thick, smothering green with the occasional crystalline bubble trickling upwards. It was as if the whole world was submerged, engulfed by a thick sea of liquid.

Consciousness slowly returned to Ken, who grimaced before cracking his eyes open. Everything was blurry at first, save the alarming amount of green. However, his eyes eventually adjusted. Blinking slowly, Ken suddenly gave a start and let out a choked cry, creating more bubbles to trickle upwards.

He was encased in a massive capsule filled with green fluid, completely naked with various tubes and wires attached to his body through bracelets. He had a mask over his mouth, with tubes running down his throat to provide air and sustenance. The entire feeling was uncomfortable and violating, particularly the tubes that were penetrating him between his legs - no doubt for waste disposal.

Ken's heart began to beat faster as panic started to set in. _Where the hell was he_?

It looked like he was in a lab of sorts, with a massive computer hooked up to the capsule and monitoring him. Lights flashed, screens flickered, and a small screen showed his vital signs, including his pulse beat and how rapidly it was changing.

He jerked around, staring, and then spotted what appeared to be a virtual reality visor. It was sparking slightly, floating in the liquid uselessly. It had apparently short-circuited, coming free from his face.

Noting the sparking, Ken absently mused that the liquid must have been nonconductive, or he surely would have been fried. That suggested the liquid wasn't simply colored water, but rather some other kind of chemical compound.

However, that thought was quickly smothered by a more pressing concern: escape. Ken leaned forward slightly, trying not to gag on the tubes as he grew more aware of them, and pressed the palms of his hands against the glass. He pushed weakly, noting with disapproval at how his arms trembled. It was as if he hadn't moved his body in ages...

Suddenly, a spark ran along the edge of the capsule, causing Ken to jerk back in surprise. He stared as the capsule shuddered, then let out a strangled noise as it suddenly burst open. The liquid gushed out as the bracelets and tubing down his throat immediately retracted, freeing the boy so that he fell forward and landed on the ground in a heap. Ken choked out a cry, before he began to gag. His body heaved as he proceeded to throw up massive amounts of green gunk mingled with blood. His throat screamed in agony, his stomach making nauseous gurgling noises, as his muscles echoed their own disapproval at his condition.

The young boy didn't know how long he was there, vomiting up the disgusting contents of his stomach. He was only vaguely aware that he was a child again, probably no older than when he had become the Digimon Kaiser so many years ago. At least, it seemed so many years ago. He had no idea what day it was, let alone what year it was. How long had he been in that capsule? How did he get in that capsule to start with?

Eventually, Ken's body calmed as he felt the last of the contents of his stomach hit the floor. He still had an awful taste in his mouth, as well as the overall feeling of being horribly violated. He wasn't sure if it was such a good idea to wake up, given what had been there to greet him. The young boy wiped at his mouth as he sat up shakily.

Ken was clearly alone in the lab, though it looked as if someone had to have been around recently given how immaculately clean the place was. There was not a speck of dust, not even a cobweb - the floor was so clean he could have eaten off of it. At least, it was until the capsule had dumped all the green fluid on it.

"...Got to... get out of here..." he thought, slowly standing up. His legs wobbled, threatening to give way underneath him. His mind was clouded, disoriented; he knew he had to escape, but it was barely more than an instinctual fight or flight mentality - he wasn't even certain what he was fleeing _from_, just that he wanted to get away.

That kind of thinking would do him no good at all.

Ken closed his eyes and gave his head a mighty shake, hair flicking about and splattering the remaining green droplets of fluid about the floor like raindrops. He needed to get in control of the situation, or at the very least in control of his own mind!

It took Ken a few moments until his head was clear, his body no longer shaking uncontrollably. Slowly, he opened his eyes and gave the room a closer inspection. The room was decidedly empty, save for the large computer lining the wall, the black swivel chair placed in front of it, and the capsule he had escaped from. Two doors rested on opposite walls of the room, a large door with a glowing red light over top of it and a smaller door shoved in the corner.

"Two doors...?" Ken thought, glancing between the two. The large one looked more intimidating, which made him suspect it was the actual exit from the lab. If the larger door was the entrance and exit, it meant the smaller door wasn't - and thus was more likely to be a storage closet of some sort. Of course, he could be totally wrong, but there wasn't much he could do about it.

His legs wobbling weakly underneath him, Ken ventured over to the smaller door and grasped the handle. Pulling it, the door swung open easily enough to reveal its contents. Almost immediately, the Chosen of Kindness was greeted by the sight of white fluttering fabric - lab coats attached to hooks on the door.

Ken blinked and looked up at the lab coats before looking down at himself, registering that he was in fact _quite_ naked. It took all of a moment for something to click inside Ken's head and he eagerly reached up to grasp one of the lab coats. Weakly tugging it off the hook, he put the lab coat on and buttoned up the front. While it was certainly still drafty around his legs, he was at least moderately covered. With that taken care of, the Chosen of Kindness peered in to the room he had just opened.

As he had guessed, it was a storage room.

There was no other door in the storage room besides the one he had opened, and numerous shelves and a glass containment case lined the walls. It felt particularly cluttered, as items were practically tossed on top of each other, without much care for organization.

Almost immediately, Ken spotted an item of value - a flashlight. He hurried over to the shelf and grasped the cylinder handle, flicking it on to check and make certain it worked. The Chosen of Kindness felt a wave of relief as light burst forth from the bulb. He clicked it off and shoved it in one of the lab coat's pockets.

On another shelf, further down, was a small black electric taser. Ken stared at it a moment before reaching for it as well. He glanced it over and flicked it on, noting the light blue electricity that danced between the two prongs. It made a loud snapping noise, which hurt his ears but certainly emphasized how dangerous it was.

"This ought to be helpful," Ken thought as he looked over the device after turning it back off, then set it in a pocket as well. "Better than nothing, anyway."

The Chosen of Kindness' eyes then settled on the glass containment case, which stood at a distance from the rest of the shelves. It seemed to have a whole wall dedicated entirely to it, suggesting that its contents were somehow more important than the clutter thrown on to the shelves. The fact that it was actually locked with a large black padlock helped such an impression. Ken walked over to the containment case, rather curious to see what needed to be protected so jealously.

He was more than a little taken back to see his black Digivice sitting right at the center of the case, staring at him silently.

"Huh?" Ken blinked, gawking at the sight before him.

The Demonic Digivice was not alone. Sitting next to it, looking equally docile, was a very familiar golden ring with strange runes along the surface. It was Tailmon's Holy Ring, the one that she had lost while fleeing some of the former Kaiser's Digimon minions and thus was subsequently confiscated.

Ken remembered it well, as he had studied it when attempting to improve his Evil Rings, thus creating the Evil Spirals. The ring had a rather odd ability of deactivating the Evil Rings, and thus proved valuable in combating such a weakness.

Speaking of Evil Rings and Evil Spirals, an assortment of Evil Rings and Evil Spirals covered the lower shelf of the containment case. He recognized them as his prototypes, the numerous experiments he had created in trying to make the finished product. Among them, however, Ken spotted a ring he _didn't_ recognize. It seemed to be made out of _two_ Evil Rings that looped together, twisting around each other to create one band. The former Kaiser stared at for a moment, almost uncomprehendingly, before he quickly shook his head and stepped back.

"I've got to get this thing open," Ken muttered. He stared at the padlock with a scowl before glancing around. He wasn't expecting to find a key or anything as practical as that, but surely there had to be something to help him. It took a few moments of looking, but eventually Ken found just what he needed - a large wrench.

The former Kaiser lugged the wrench over to the encasement before hefting it up, raising it over his shoulder as he aimed it at the padlock. Before he swung down, however, a thought came to him. Ken's eyes shifted from the padlock to the glass.

"... Well, I guess I could do it the _easy way_ too."

_SMASH._

Ken swung the wrench down on the glass, causing it to crack and splinter. It took a few good hits before it finally caved in, but that wasn't much of a problem. The former Kaiser had never been one for acts of mindless vandalism, but he had to admit it felt rather good to smash the containment case with the wrench. It almost felt as if he was venting on it, not that he was entirely sure what there was to vent about. Then again, the very fact that he was in a capsule with tubes crammed in embarrassing places was enough of a reason to want to smash things.

Soon enough, the entire encasement was destroyed, the padlock rendered useless as the contents were free for the taking.

Ken threw the wrench to the side, grimacing slightly as it clattered noisily. He gingerly stepped around the shards of glass on the floor and reached inside the containment case. He gently took his Demonic Digivice, removing it from its previous prison and stared down at it almost blankly. He really didn't know what was going on, but it was never a good idea to be without one's Digivice.

The Chosen of Kindness hesitated before peering back inside the containment case, staring at the Holy Ring. He paused only a moment before reaching back inside again, taking it as well. He shoved both in his lab coat's pockets before looking around, checking to see if there was anything else of value to take.

Satisfied that there was nothing else, the former Kaiser carefully removed himself from the glass-covered floor before hurrying towards the door. However, he stopped immediately when he heard the sound of voices and barely managed to duck back inside the storage room as the large door slid open with a _whoosh_.

"Cleaning time again. What fun," a voice sighed dully.

Ken froze as he stood just inside the door, his heart pounding. It looked like he would get his first glimpse of his captors, but hopefully it wouldn't be his last.

He didn't have to wait long before he saw three large Bakemon floating into the room. One carried a feather duster and cloth, another a broom and dustpan, and the third carried a mop and bucket.

"...Digimon?" Ken thought as he peered through the crack in the door.

"Haaahhh... this is so boring," the Bakemon with the broom and dustpan whined.

"Stop complaining," the Bakemon with the mop and bucket huffed as it set the bucket down onto the floor. "Do you want to get deleted?"

"Go get me some cleaner from the supply closet if you're bored," the Bakemon with the duster and rag snapped.

"Riiiight...," the Bakemon with the broom said dully as it dropped the dustpan and floated towards the closet and, unknowingly, Ken.

"They don't even notice I'm not in the capsule?" Ken thought as he frowned. However, he wasn't able to address that thought too much as the Bakemon drew closer. He quickly pulled out the taser from his lab coat pocket and waited. As the Bakemon entered the closet, he immediately jabbed his hand forward to poke the Digimon with the taser.

The Bakemon didn't even have time to react beyond widening its eyes before electricity coursed through it. Apparently the taser was built to take care of Digimon, even Adult level, because the Bakemon almost instantly went unconscious and fell to the floor in a twitching heap.

"What was that?" the Bakemon with the mop asked.

"Dunno," the Bakemon with the duster and rag replied with a shrug.

"Go check it out," the Bakemon with the mop ordered.

The Bakemon with the dusting tools sighed. "Fine," he said before he went to do so.

Ken waited by the door, his heart pounding. "That couldn't possibly work a second time," he thought, trying to overcome the fear that blossomed in his chest. "What do I do now?"

It seemed as though the Bakemon with the dusting tools didn't even notice its fallen brethren as it floated into the closet until it was practically on top of the other. "Hm?"

When the Bakemon entered the storage room, Ken found that he had no alternative but to try the same tactic again. He quickly lashed the taser out, jabbing the back of the second Bakemon's head. The Bakemon went into spasms much like the other one had before collapsing, right on top of its fallen comrade.

Ken paused and stared at the two Bakemon, then made a face. "..._Huh_."

"Well?" the remaining Bakemon demanded. "Did you find out what that noise is?"

Ken paused and carefully pressed his back up against the wall by the door. Surely the other Digimon wouldn't try the same exact thing? Once was luck, twice was _very_ good luck, but three times? That's just out and out stupidity.

The Bakemon snorted and glared at the closet. "If you want anything done right you have to do it yourself," he declared as he hovered into the closet.

Ken waited silently before he turned to stare as the Bakemon drifted in, hovering right over its fallen comrades. He paused, then shook his head slowly before jabbing the taser forward a third time. The Bakemon screamed and collapsed, right on top of the other two before it even had a chance to react to the sight of the young boy or the fallen Bakemon. The former Digimon Kaiser turned to stare at the trio of unconscious Bakemon with a rather disbelieving expression on his face.

"...Bakemon? More like Bakamon." Ken muttered, then sighed and put the taser back in his pocket. Peering out of the storage closet, he saw he was alone again - _but_ the large door was wide open.

Ken hesitated a moment before he rushed over to the door. Cautiously, he peered through to see if any other Digimon were around. The door led in to a massive and brightly lit hallway, which seemed to go on forever in either direction.

"Which way do I go?" Ken murmured, glancing down both ways. He had a fifty-fifty chance of picking the right hallway - assuming _either_ lead to safety. Of course, he couldn't just _not_ pick one and stay in the lab, he'd only end up caught - and more horribly, placed back in the tube.

"...Let's do this the old fashioned way," The Chosen of Kindness glanced between the two directions before stepping out in to the hallway. He clasped his hand over his eyes and stuck his hand out before spinning about on his heels. He finally came to a stop and wobbled a bit before opening his eyes, finding himself staring down to the right of the door. "...Good enough."

Ken took a deep breath, steeling himself, before he rushed down the hallway in to dangers and destinations unknown.

* * *

Well, Ken's choice in directions had certainly lead him _somewhere_ - he was just at a loss as to where that somewhere _was_.

The hallway abruptly led inside of a massive room, transforming it into an observation walkway. The walkway was suspended by massive pillars at periodical intervals, the only cover available to Ken.

Ken took a quick look around to make sure no one was currently looking up before he hurried on to the walkway and behind one of the pillars. Once satisfied that he was secure, Ken peered around the pillar and down in to the massive room.

It was some sort of a laboratory, which he imagined he should have expected. What he didn't expect to see were rows and rows of capsules that looked exactly like his own, filled with green liquid that bubbled and glowed a faint emerald color. Even more, he did not expect to see blobs of black floating inside the capsules.

"What on earth...?" Ken murmured as he squinted his eyes. It was hard to make out any distinctive details from such a distance, but it certainly looked like a mass of black goo was suspended in each capsule. The entire room was filled the capsules, rows upon rows that lined the walls but also separated the room in to sections like aisles in a supermarket.

Wandering among the aisles, carrying clipboards and wearing lab coats, were Digimon. There were all types of Digimon, though mostly Adult with only a few Child types, and all wandered around in little white lab coats that obviously wasn't a part of their natural evolution. A Dracomon sat on a platform at the front of the room, to which the walkways were all connected to by a stairway. He was the only Digimon present not wearing a lab coat and seemed to be overseeing the others, rather stoically watching the others as they toiled over the capsules.

Ken would have found the Digimon amusing in their lab coats, if not for the fact that he felt uneasy about the contents of the capsules. What were they? Most were just shapeless masses of various sizes, but others looked like they were taking definite shapes. Some were egg-like, but others...

He needed to get a closer look. Ken shifted slightly, leaning over the edge to peer down. As he did, the flashlight in his lab coat pocket clanged lightly against the railing.

The Dracomon paused and turned to peer at the walkway in Ken's direction, its eyes narrowed dangerously. Ken immediately noticed and ducked behind the pillar, his heart racing violently. He waited anxiously but the Dracomon did not look away, the Digimon's piercing eyes locked intently on the walkway. It felt like forever had passed before the Dracomon finally returned its gaze to the Digimon walking about the lab - but it certainly didn't look quite so inattentive as before.

"That was... stupid," Ken thought with a grimace. "Very stupid."

The Chosen of Kindness needed to get away quickly, no matter how curious he was about the capsules. While he obviously wanted to know what was in them, he didn't want to know enough to jeopardize his safety and end up back in a capsule himself.

Ken slowly began to inch along the pillar, stopping only to quickly dash to the next one lest he be seen. He stopped and quickly glanced over to see if the Dracomon was looking again. Unfortunately, the Dracomon was completely gone. Ken's breathing hitched before he quickly looked around. His eyes widened drastically as they settled on the walkway.

The Dracomon stood at the top of the stairs, its head bowed slightly as its eyes focused intently on Ken. The dragon Digimon leaned forward as it slowly stepped up on to the platform, its tail twitching as every muscle in its body was tense. It looked like a cat about to pounce on its prey - in this instance, Ken.

Ken's heart beat wildly in his chest as all the color drained from his face. The Chosen of Kindness slowly backed away, even as the Dracomon slowly stepped towards him. It was abundantly obvious that this Digimon was _not_ on the same level as the Bakemon, as he had been tipped off by a single sound.

This was bad. This was _really_ bad.

Ken grimaced before he quickly turned on his heels, bolting across the walkway for the door on the other side. It didn't matter if the other Digimon saw him - he had already been spotted. He rushed as fast as he could away, even though he imagined the Dracomon was much faster than him. He didn't even hear the Digimon's footsteps, but he was _sure_ the Digimon was on his heels.

The Chosen of Kindness burst in to an office area, with desks and cubicles abound. The Digimon there gawked at Ken, then screamed and scampered out of the way as he darted past. They stared at him with wide eyes, unable to even _comprehend_ what they were seeing.

Hurrying, Ken jumped over one of the desks as he hurried towards the far door. He could hear the Dracomon leap on to the desk as it followed the Chosen Child - the Digimon was _close_. Ken needed to do something quickly - the Digimon was faster than him, so a simple race on foot meant he would be the inevitable loser.

Ken grabbed a chair and tossed it behind him as he darted past, hoping it would delay the Digimon enough. He heard the chair hit something and get thrown, and he could only hope it gave him a few more seconds to get through the office and into-

...A subway.

Ken stumbled slightly as his eyes widened. The office area opened up in to a massive subway, complete with subway cars and tunnels leading either way. It looked like a subway right out of the Tokyo underground, though obviously _much_ cleaner. A subway car sat comfortably with its doors wide open, waiting for entry as its lights flashed. It was almost as if the subway car was inviting Ken inside, though he knew it was obviously meant for the Digimon that worked in the laboratory.

Just the same, Ken was more than a little baffled to see it.

"A... a subway?" Ken gasped. How _big_ was this place that it needed a freaking _subway_!?

A moment's hesitation was a moment too many. In that instant, Dracomon was on him, tackling him to the ground. Ken cried out as he hit the ground and rolled, coming to a stop with the dragon Digimon looming over him.

"I hoped you enjoyed your walk, because it's over now." the Dracomon growled in a low baritone that suggested to Ken that he was a male Digimon, as he leaned forward, nose to nose with the captive human child.

Ken's breathing hitched again as fear raced up his spine. The capsule - he was going back in the capsule! He was going to have the wires attached to him again, the visor shoved over his head again. He was going to have those horrible tubes shoved in horrible places all over again-! "No!"

In that instant, Ken jabbed the taser in to the Dracomon's face. The Dracomon screamed as he jerked back, blue electricity dancing along his body before disappearing once he was no longer touching the prongs of the taser.

The Chosen of Kindness stared blankly at Dracomon as the Digimon went into spasms before he collapsed to the floor. Ken hadn't even been aware that he had grabbed the taser from his pocket. Even more, he hadn't expected to _jab_ the Digimon with it. Obviously, it resolved the issue, but he really hadn't been thinking when he did it.

...So there wasn't much reason to think about it now.

Ken didn't waste another moment, scrambling to his feet and racing in to the awaiting empty subway car. The doors closed with a snap before the subway car began to move, taking him away from the crowd of gawking Digimon. Ken breathed heavily as he slumped against the door, shaking.

He had escaped.

The Digimon moved to surround the collapsed Dracomon, rather baffled by what had happened. They murmured amongst themselves a moment, uncertain of what to do. No one thought to follow after Ken, instead focused exclusively on the fallen Digimon.

"Hey," a Penguinmon peered over the inert Digimon, blinking slowly. "Hey! You okay?"

The Dracomon's eyes cleared in an instant and he suddenly snapped his jaws around the Penguinmon's face. The Penguinmon shrieked and flailed about before it disappeared with a burst of data. The other Digimon backed away from the Dracomon, squeaking with fear as the dragon Digimon got to his feet and gave a mighty shake.

Dracomon gave a small sniff, then glanced around at the cowering Digimon with an angry glare.

"...Alert the Kaiser."

* * *

Well, now what was he supposed to do?

Ken sighed softly as he leaned against a large crate, hiding in the space between it and the wall. He really wasn't sure how he had managed to get so far, as the entire building was flooded with Digimon. It seemed that he spent more time trying to _avoid_ the Digimon than he did trying to escape.

Admittedly they were both inseparably connected, but that didn't make Ken feel like he was getting anywhere fast.

The former Digimon Kaiser glanced around the crate with a frown. He had managed to get to an area that _looked_ like some sort of a train station, where the Digimon were all placing cargo. He wasn't sure what they were waiting for, as he wasn't even sure Digimon _had_ trains, but the area was filling up quickly with boxes, crates, and barrels. It made it easy enough for him to hide and try to think about what to do, as no one could see him among the ever-building clutter.

"I don't get this," Ken thought. "I mean, I'm obviously in the Digital World... but as a child. What happened after I was knocked out at the warehouse?"

"Hurry it up!" a Pico Devimon snapped as it cracked a miniature whip into the air. "Hurry up with the cargo! Trailmon's going to be here any second!"

As if summoned by those words the loud blaring sound of a train whistle pierced through the din of all the commotion.

"Trailmon?" Ken peeked over the crate cautiously. "...So the Digimon don't have a _train_ so much as a Digimon train?"

A loud rumbling sound echoed from deep within the dark tunnel, before a massive train with _eyes_ surged through. It pulled up and let out a sharp hiss of steam as it applied the breaks, the wheels plaintively grinding to a halt as it pulled in to the station.

Ken stared at Trailmon, more specifically at the strange black band wrapped around the Digimon's chimney stack. He gaped for a few moments before his mind finally registered what he was seeing - an Evil Spiral. It was true that he had seen the items in the storage room, but to actually see them in use? It was like a bad joke!

"Get the lead out!"

Ken looked up sharply as the sharp order pierced his thoughts. Standing by the doorway, hands on his hips, was a Grappleomon. The Grappleomon sniffed slightly before he bared his teeth and pointed at the Trailmon.

"I want that damn thing loaded and out of here, _now_!" the Grappleomon growled, then clenched his fist. The drill-like wrist braces spun about violently, with a low 'whrrrrr'. "Don't you dare slack off or I'll delete you myself!"

"Okay, you heard him! Load it in!" Pico Devimon shouted as he cracked the whip in the air. "Get a move on, hup to! Chop, chop!"

It was then that Ken finally began to notice the _other_ Evil accessories that he had overlooked before. There were Evil Rings on the low level Digimon, and Evil Spirals on the higher level ones. Almost every single Digimon had one, save for the few that seemed to be commanding the masses such as Pico Devimon and Grappleomon.

"What... what is this?" Ken whispered. "Why are there...?"

"Grappleomon!" a second Pico Devimon hovered over to the large Digimon, wings fluttering to keep him aloft.

"Hm?" Grappleomon arched an eyebrow. "What's this now? I'm _busy_."

"There's been an emergency!" the second Pico Devimon squeaked. "This order came from the Master himself!"

Grappleomon paused, then snorted again. He walked past the Pico Devimon, who quickly made to follow him. "Whatever. Emergency, huh? Even with that loudmouth pedophile hanging around? He's not really as hot as he thinks he is. No way this woulda happened if I had been in charge."

"Sir?" the Pico Devimon with the whip turned to face the retreating Grappleomon. "What should I do?"

"Keep them loading the Trailmon!" Grappleomon snapped. "I've gotta go clean up a mess for our 'Master'! I'll show him how a _real_ Digimon gets things done."

"Sir, yes, sir!" the first Pico Devimon saluted sharply with his wing, then yelped as he nearly dropped to the floor and had to beat his wings frantically in order to regain his balance.

Ken frowned as he watched Grappleomon leave, then sighed softly. At least the Complete was gone - now all he had to worry about were Child Digimon. Of course, they were quite dangerous by themselves, but at least he could outrun them.

"Alright, I'm in charge now! Get those crates in or I'll have your hides and give them back to our master on a platter to make into a coat!" Pico Devimon snapped as he cracked the whip at a Gazimon that was apparently going too slow for his taste. The Gazimon with the dark ring yelped as its ear was grazed by the whip and scrambled to push the massive crate it was in charge of faster.

Ken flinched, as if the whip had nearly struck him. It brought back far too many memories, memories he had been _trying_ to escape for years. However, he was quickly interrupted from his angst when he noticed a ringed Gotsumon approaching him. He quickly looked around, for anywhere he could hide, before flinching back as the Gotsumon took the barrel beside him. Thankfully the Digimon did not notice him and carried the barrel towards the Trailmon.

Ken's heart thundered in his chest, his skin growing slick and clammy. He was trapped - at any moment, a Digimon could take away his cover and he'd be exposed in front of countless Digimon. What was he going to do?

It was at that moment that the Chosen of Kindness noticed a crate further down from where he was, slightly open. Apparently the Digimon hadn't done a good job of closing it up. Ken hesitated before nodding sharply. He slowly slunk along the wall, crawling on his knees over to the badly closed crate.

Ken carefully grasped the board, avoiding the nails, and pulled it open just enough that he could slip inside. He flinched when one of the nails cut his skin and bit down on his lower lip to keep from crying out. He squeezed inside the crate before grasping the board and pulling it closed, sealing the crate mostly shut once again.

It was at this point that Ken noticed the crate was full of Evil Rings. Ken grimaced as he stared at the massive amounts of _his mistake_, which he would have to share the crate with. At least their weight would cover his own - no one would notice the extra pounds when it already weighed so much.

All Ken had to do now was wait and hope no one would check the slightly open crate.

Ken didn't have long to wait as the crate was suddenly tilted on to its side. The Evil Rings clattered about, landing on top of him. He reached out to steady himself, trying not to move or make a single sound. After the crate came to a stop on its side so that the badly sealed side was on the top, the crate was hefted upwards.

Ken's stomach lurched as he felt the crate leave the ground, a sort of surreal feeling as if he were floating with no real grasp on gravity. He kept a firm bite on his lower lip, lest he make any noise.

"Man this thing is heavy," a low rough voice said from outside the crate, somewhat muffled.

The Chosen of Kindness flinched slightly, his heartbeat thundering in his ears. This was going to end badly, he just _knew_ it. What was he _thinking_?

"No back talk!" the Pico Devimon shouted before another crack of the whip was heard. "Not unless you _want_ an Evil Ring around your neck."

"Just let me get to the train... just let me get to the train..." Ken repeated mentally over and over. He wasn't sure what he'd do once he got there, but he was taking everything one step at a time.

"Y-yes, Pico Devimon-sama!" the rough voice yelped and the box jostled a bit. Most likely whoever, or whatever was carrying the crate was moving faster for fear of being controlled.

Ken tried his best to control his breathing, even if he felt like his lungs would burst trying to keep up with his quick heartbeat. He was _more_ than a little relieved when the Digimon carrying the crate set it down gently and left without any incident. Even more, he felt the crate tremble as more crates were set on top of it and around it. While that would make things difficult to get out of the crate later, it meant he hadn't been seen yet and no one would investigate the damaged crate.

"So far, so good." Ken thought, letting out a soft sigh.

The loud shriek of a train whistle caused Ken to jump, as did the sound of a door slamming. The young boy hesitated as he frowned, listening for any further sounds. When he felt the rumble of the Trailmon underneath him, Ken realized that the train Digimon was on the move.

Ken peered through the crate opening and glanced around, noting a Digimon in the far corner - a Goblimon, no doubt guarding the cargo. The Chosen of Kindness grimaced before sitting back, attempting to get comfortable in the crate without making much noise. He knew there wasn't much point in trying to escape out of the crate - not until the Trailmon had arrived at its destination.

For the time being, all he could do was wait.


End file.
